1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to an electrical connector, and in particular to an electrical connector on which a pick-and-place plate is releasably attached by means of force-fitting.
2. The Prior Art
As the trend of the computer industry continues toward miniaturization, more parts are arranged in a smaller space inside the computer. This is particularly true for notebook computers. To meet such a requirement, a number of circuit boards are stacked on top of each other inside the computer and each circuit board has as many electronic elements and/or device mounted thereon as possible. To arrange as many electronic elements/devices as possible on a particular circuit board and to accommodate as many circuit boards as possible inside the computer, the electronic elements/devices must be as space efficient as possible. Among the electronic elements/devices mounted on the computer circuit boards, electrical connectors occupy a significant amount of space and miniaturization of the electrical connector is effective in more fully exploiting the space inside the computer.
A size-reduced or minimized connector requires a corresponding reduction in size of the conductive traces on the circuit board. This makes it more difficult to properly retain the connector at its correct position on the circuit board in order to proceed with a soldering process which permanently fixes the connector to the circuit board.
Conventionally, the connector is temporarily retained on the circuit board is by means of a suction force from a vacuum until the soldering process is complete. To use the vacuum to retain the connector, the connector must have a flat surface with which a suction cup may be engageable. Traditionally, the flat surface is provided by a plate-like member, commonly referred to as pick-and-place plate, releasably fixed to the connector by means of adhesive film or tape or by using resilient clips which engage with side walls of the connector. Examples are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,396,245, 4,645,278, 5,026,295 and 5,383,797.
However, both methods have disadvantages. For the adhesive film method, adhesive material may be left on the connector after the film is removed and dust and other foreign particles may become attached thereto thereby resulting in contamination. In addition, the adhesive film must be purchased separately thereby increasing costs.
When using a resilient clip to secure the pick-and-place plate to the connector, the clip may damage the connector. Furthermore, the clip must be in perfect alignment with the connector in order to be properly mounted thereto. In addition, incorrectly fitting the clip onto the connector may complicate removal of the pick-and-place plate and the clip from the connector. Moreover, the pick-and-place plate which utilizes the resilient clip has a complicated configuration thereby complicating manufacture and increasing costs.
It is thus desirable to have an improved connector with a pick-and-place plate to overcome the problems of the prior art.